The St. Louis Blues have a nightmare situation in the most unlikely of places. This team has been blown out every time they skated out onto the ice at the Enterprise Center. In two attempts, they have been dominated 13-3 in goal differential.
Now, they enter the second game of their four-game homestand, and they face the Dallas Stars. Using their throwback look, with some great players to watch for, the time is now to try to win back home ice.
Here are three ways that this team can do that.
Improve in all areas
The Blues have been manhandled for the first two home games of the year. They were sloppy on even strength, power play, penalty kill, goaltending, defense, and offense. There is very little that has gone right for them thus far, making it an easy observation as to what needs to change to beat the 3-1-0 Stars.
With only three goals to go off of, the offense is going to be the second-biggest highlight for this game. The new top-line of Robert Thomas, Dylan Holloway, and Jake Neighbours has to shine through, but we will talk about them more in a minute.
Binnington clutches up
The goaltending has been a nightmare for the Blues at home. Jordan Binnington let in five goals on opening night to the Minnesota Wild, and then Joel Hofer allowed seven of the eight goals scored by Chicago. Not an ideal start to the year for what was supposed to be the strongest part of the Blues identity.
Binnington will have to prove that he is still just as clutch as he has been for many years in St. Louis. With his back against the wall, there is no other goaltender who has a pedigree for being able to win.
Top line is the best line?
Now, the first line almost looks completely different from the opening night rushes. Holloway now joins Thomas and Neighbours on hopefully the best line of the night. Through the first four games of the year, it has not been that way.
Holloway has been putting in the work to deserve the promotion, and the rest of the lineup has been shuffled around as well. Head coach Jim Montgomery might be on to something with these moves, but even as extreme as they are, something has to be done to try to fix the narrative. The Blues have to reclaim home ice if they have any hopes of being a playoff team.